


Apparently the Mantles like to keep secrets

by theredemptionarch



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Other, Sweet Pea is a Mantle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-03-09 13:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18918058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theredemptionarch/pseuds/theredemptionarch
Summary: So apparently the Mantles like to keep secrets. Not to live their life in the open. But are they also keeping secrets from their son? Maybe even a brother?





	1. Chapter 1

                                                             

 

“ _You don’t even know. Do you, Reginald?_ ” Sweet Pea asked as he was stepping up to the Mantle’s front door — just as he had done a few days before at Andrews‘ house. This time though? He was alone. No other serpents in sight.

There was an expression on his face Reggie was unable to classify and it drove him wild. Was it mischievousness? Scorn? **Was that son of a bitch mocking him?**

A part of him wanted to act as if he did. As if he did know about everything the serpent could possibly say to him. But he didn’t. He had no clue and it made him **incredibly angry**. So instead of telling the truth he narrowed his dark eyes in suspicion, looking up to the tall guy in front of him with no intention of backing off.

“ _You know nothing, Sweet Pea._ ”, he snapped at him, raising his voice as he stepped towards him. “ _You’re scum. Scum that’s not welcome here. So take the hint, **bro**. Leave. Before somebody gets hurt._”

The tall serpent immediately cracked a smile. Resentful, but still amused. Yeah, he truly wasn’t welcome here. From the day he was born, he wasn’t. “ _I can’t believe he didn’t tell you._ ”

“ _Tell me **what**?_”, Reg asked, trying to push the serpent from the porch they were standing on as his hatred for this guy and the whole Southside got the best of him. No way they shared a connection he had not allowed himself to think about yet. No way they were related in any way. This could not be be happening.

While Reggie was freaking out, his whole body shaking, Sweet Pea’s did not move at all. Not even when he tried to push him down the stairs. He was just too heavy. And the amusement about that was all over his face, all over his attitude.

“ _Oh, poor Reginald._ ”, he teased. _“Just look at me. Look into my eyes, just once._ **_And tell me, what do you see?_** ”, he challenged him and his dark brown eyes started shining. “ _He didn’t tell you but there’s no way you’re as dumb as you pretend to be._ ”

Reggie’s face darkened even further, while **it was there**. Right there, on the tip of his tongue. His throat was parched and his eyes slowly filled with tears, now that he was finally giving up fighting the truth his father had kept from him his whole life.

“ ** _Nathaniel._** ”, Marty Mantle’s voice behind him was sharp enough to cut across the air between them, and Reggie almost automatically turned his gaze down ― unwilling to face his father after that relevation.

“ _Hello, Dad._ ”, Sweet Pea cynically greeted the older man, nothing but despise speaking out of his eyes.

“ ** _I thought we had an agreement._** ”, Marty stated and while all of the other faces ’round the porch were dark, Nathaniel’s lighted up even more as a grin played around his mouth a he took a further step towards the man.

“ _An agreement?_ ”, he repeated in disbelief and perked his eyebrows up. “ _You think sending me an envelope with money, two days after the Southside High is shut down, **is an agreement?**_ ”

“ _ **Hell no, it isn’t**_.”, he barked at his father before he could even react, drawing the said envelope out of his serpent jacket and pressing it up against his father’s chest. “ ** _I hope you choke on it._** ”


	2. Chapter 2

                               

“ _Is it true, Dad?_ ”, Reggie barked at his father as soon as they were inside again.

Sweet Pea – or how his father had called him Nathaniel – had cleared off just as quickly as he had appeared on their porch in the first place, but what couldn’t clear off as quick was the truth he had finally exposed to him.

“ _I always knew you were a liar, **but this!?**_ ”, Reggie was losing his mind about it, pointing a finger on his old man as if that was gonna help making him feel guilty for what he did.

“ _Why didn’t you tell me!?_ ”, he finally asked in a desperate manner. How could he have kept this from him? **A frickin’ brother!?**

“ _I didn’t want you to know about my mistake._ ”, Marty answered openly – calmly, even, yet Reggie knew the expression on his face. “ _I didn’t want you to bond with this kid._ ”

“ _This kid? Are you fucking kidding me!?_ ”, Reggie was just as temperamental as his dad, taking a few steps towards him and building himself up in front of him.

“ _Who’s his mom!?_ ”, he inquired loudly. “ ** _Who’d you knock up?_** ”

“ _It doesn’t matter. She’s dead._ ”

“ _Dead!? Since when?_ ”

“ _She died when she gave birth to him_.”

“ ** _And he’s still not living with us!?_** ” Not once in his life had he felt sympathy for the serpent boy but now? Now it was all crushing down on him and there was no way for him to fade it down.

He turned away from his father, more disappointed than he’s ever been, his fingers running through his dark hair as he was trying to understand what the fuck was going on.

“ _Damn. I always knew you were cold as ice but this? This really takes the cake._ ”

“ _Reginald, you don’t understand!_ ”

“ _ **And how would I!?**_ _He’s my brother!_ _**Your son!**_ ”, he turned around again, facing his old man, nearly screaming at his face now.

“ _I loved her, Reginald._ ”

“ _ **What!?**_ ”

“ _Her name was Eleanor. She was from the Southside. A serpent. Your mother… found out about my affair just when she was in labor. I wasn’t with her when she died. I wasn’t with her when Nathaniel was born._ ”

Reggie’s face convulsed. He didn’t know what to think. To feel.

“ _So instead of being with the woman you loved… You were here fighting with my mom? **Who you don’t love?**_ ”, Reg was trying to put the pieces together.

“ _Yes, but… It’s complicated._ ”

“ ** _How is that complicated, Dad?_** ”

None of them said a word before Reg eventually turned away to go to the kitchen and returned with two beers, one he threw over to his father, the other he kept to himself. Opening it up, he sat down on the couch – no sound escaping his lips when he took a sip.

„ _So…_ “, he started afterwards. “ _Why’d the two of you stay together? **If you don’t love each other?**_ ”

“ _It was a nasty fight. I broke up with her, eventually and left the house to be with Eleanor. To hold her hand while she had him. But when I arrived she was already dead. FP Jones was beside her._ ”

Silence. Reg took another sip.

 _“I didn’t know what to do. I was shattered. My life was falling apart in front of my eyes and he offered to take him in. Make him a serpent and be there for him, his whole life. As that was what she would have wanted. What serpents lived like._ ”

“ _So you agreed to that_.”

“ _No. Not at all. Not at first. But I wasn’t able to think straight. I came back home, leaving Nathaniel with FP. Melinda awaited me. Telling me that if I left her, she’d take the Car Dealership from me._ ”

“ ** _Can she do that?_** ”, Reggie asked, clearly confused about the fact that the only thing his father took pride for apparently wasn’t fully his.

“ _Yes. Her family founded it. I was only nominated CEO because she was my wife. It was never mine_.”

“ _So you stayed with her and left Nate with the Serpents… Because you couldn’t bear the thought of losing your precious Car Dealership?_ ”

Marty Mantle was holding onto it and sucking onto his beer bottle like a goddamn baby, his eyes directed into the void.

“ _Yeah, I think I’ve heard enough for today._ ”, Reg decided, getting up and dressing up in his leather jacket.

“ _Where are you going?_ ”, Marty asked, sheer panic appearing in his eyes.

“ ** _Go find him._** ”


End file.
